‘Warning! Thieves operate in this area!’ A familiar message seen in crowded places such as airports, stations and shopping malls. But perhaps this is a warning sign that needs to be located in churches too? Not because of any threat to the weekly collection or the lead on the roof, but because of a threat to something much more valuable – the clear teaching of the Bible.

In this book Dr Sanlon addresses the issue of false teaching and the damage that is caused when God’s word is replaced with human invention. That damage can be severe: Christians become confused and the power of the gospel to change lives is diminished. The author’s aim is thus one of crime prevention: how to protect the Church against the theft of God’s word from its midst.

The material in the book comes from a set of sermons preached by the author in an Anglican church in 2017 and later transcribed from audio recordings by members of the congregation. There has been no attempt to tidy these up, making for a less fluent reading experience than one might hope for. Nevertheless, Sanlon believes that the impact the sermons had at the time makes this a worthwhile exercise and prays that “in some small measure our experience may be yours also” (p15). Presumably, therefore, other ministers and preachers are at liberty to re-preach these messages to their own congregations. If, as a church member, you feel your church could do with something similar, why not make the book known to your minister?

Sin in the Church

There are eight messages in total and we dive straight into one of the trickiest areas: homosexuality and other sexuality-related issues. Based upon Romans 1:18-32, Sanlon brings a hard-hitting but honest appraisal of the matter, confronting a confused Church in a confused world. But he sincerely believes that church can provide ‘loving clarity’. He concludes that though there are difficult things in this passage, it is part of the gospel which is the power of God (Rom 1:16), and that “these words are for our healing and for our restoration” (p38).

Dr Sanlon addresses the issue of false teaching and the damage that can be caused when God’s word is replaced with human invention.

The next ‘sermon’ is equally forthright: ‘Lovingly addressing sin in the church’. The chosen passage, 1 Corinthians 5:1-13, contains Paul’s injunction to expel the immoral brother. Church discipline is rarely practised these days, and so is highly unlikely to be preached on. The author takes us through Jesus’s teaching in Matthew 18 on the matter before returning to the extremely serious example Paul encountered in Corinth. Sanlon’s key point is that within the Body of Christ we are no longer private individuals; we are joined together by God’s Spirit. If immoral behaviour is ignored or covered up, then “it is like yeast that spreads through the whole church family” (p53).

The behaviour of believers is also the theme of the next chapter, with the deceptive teaching often heard in churches that wickedness does not matter (1 Cor 6:9-20).

Contending for Truth

The emphasis then moves to that of contending for the faith, the unchanging body of truths revealed by God to his people. The letter of Jude is the scriptural basis for understanding how godless men have slipped secretly into the churches creating division through their false teaching.

Another small biblical book taken in its entirety is the second letter of John, where the key word is truth. Sanlon upholds that love is not all you need – you need truth as well. He asserts that if “love is a ‘hooray’ word for our culture, truth is the opposite; truth is a ‘boo, hiss’ word!” (p106). But truth is essential. It is not sterile or unrelational. Truth lives in us, or it should.

From 2 Timothy 3 we learn that the tempting way to lead and grow a church today is to appeal to a love of self, money and pleasure, and that many leaders fall for that temptation.

The remaining two chapters refer to two of the churches found in the early part of Revelation. Thyatira was prepared to tolerate a Jezebel who, though seeming to be a prophetess, misled the people through her false teaching (Rev 2:18-29). Philadelphia provided a home for those who were of the ‘synagogue of Satan’ (Rev 3:7-13). Strong words from Jesus, but still relevant today.

Love is not all you need – you need truth as well.

Spotting Deception

Sanlon admits that it is scary and uncomfortable to realise that we can be in danger in church, which is meant to be a place of safety and security. But deception is subtle, and deceivers do not go about carrying a placard announcing what they are! Instead, they can appear as “a minister, or a bishop or a church leader or a religious commentator” (p114). This book can help us spot those who are stealing the Bible from us.

‘The Bible Theft’ (179pp, paperback) is available from Amazon and the Book Depository. Also available on Kindle.